FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
After nearly 12 hours of debates and discussions, the Albanian Parliament has approved the draft laws foreseen on the agenda, in a long session that was accompanied by political tensions and the opposition leaving the hall.
With 77 votes in favor, the draft law "On some additions and amendments to law no. 33, dated 31.03.2021, 'On the Guard of the Republic of Albania', as amended, was approved in its entirety". While with 76 votes in favor and none against, in the absence of the opposition, the majority also approved the draft law for the establishment of the Education Agency.
The amendments to the law on the Guard have been proposed by Socialist MP Antoneta Dhima and relate mainly to the manner of appointing the General Director. According to the new wording, the director will be appointed by the Prime Minister, upon the proposal of the relevant minister, and must be selected from among the Guard employees holding the ranks of “First Director” or “Senior Director”, taking the rank of “Senior Director”.
This change represents a step back from the amendments of two years ago, when the majority had opened the possibility for the head of the Guard to be elected from outside the institution. At the time, the opposition described the initiative as a “custom law”, linking it to the appointment of Ermal Onuz, who was subsequently selected through a procedure called “open competition”. Onuz resigned in June 2005 and the institution currently remains without a permanent head.
The plenary session was accompanied by strong tensions between the parties. Speaker Niko Peleshi decided to expel Democratic MP Luciano Boçi, after the latter, together with Luan Baçi, blocked the rostrum and demanded the floor to reply.
Peleshi initially drew Boçi's attention to the violation of the rules, emphasizing that he had previously been given the floor for 10 minutes and that the request for a reply was not in accordance with the rules. He then ruled for his exclusion from the session.
" I can't give you the floor because a precedent is being created and then others can speculate ," Peleshi said, while Boçi responded in harsh tones.
The decision caused a chain reaction from the opposition. MP Belind Këlliçi threatened to leave the hall if Boç was not given the floor, calling the situation unacceptable. The opposition then walked out of the session in solidarity with the expelled MP.
On the other hand, Peleshi argued that the disciplinary measure was justified, as according to him Boçi had occupied the podium without right and had used language inappropriate for parliamentary standards. He called on the deputies to continue their work in compliance with the rules of procedure.
In the absence of the opposition, the majority continued the procedures and approved the remaining draft laws on the agenda, closing one of the longest and most tense sessions in recent times.
Lini një Përgjigje